The Witness of Usehjiki

Seven

Kuwin hid in the kitchen while the others screamed at each other. If he was in a better state of mind, Kuwin would have worried about his neighbors. It was night, after all, and most of them would hate to be disturbed.

But Kuwin couldn't worry about them.

"I cover my mind with the blood of Jesus," he said, leaning on the sink. "I am blessed. I am free," he placed his head on his hand. "I am forgiven. Please, Jesus, forgive me. I'm not scared. You said that if I took your yoke and I learned from you, you will give me rest in my soul. Your word is truth." He sighed. "Your word has to be true.

He stood and paced from the sink to the kitchen door and back. He'd seen people crumble under the weight of life and forget their place. But he'd never imagined that his life would be at stake and his fate would be left to the machinations of mortal men or ancestral powers.

There was a quiet knock at the kitchen door. As he looked up from the sink, Osa poked her head into the kitchen.

"Are you okay, Pastor Kuwin?" she asked.

"I don't want to talk to you."

She entered the kitchen, carefully closing the door behind her as she leaned back on it.

"I thought I'd explain myself."

"Believe it or not, whatever reasons you have aren't very important to me, right now."

"Pastor-"

"You came to church because of me, and you got close to me because of the key. The moment you got what you wanted, you left. The only reason you're back here is that the witness wants to kill you." He looked at her. "Did I miss anything?"

She averted her eyes.

"Not really."

"I could have died that day, but still," he said, trying hard to keep his voice from quivering. "I'd have been celibate and my relationship with God wouldn't be the shaky mess that it is right now."

"You gained understanding-"

He banged his hand against the sink.

"Who said this was something I was meant to understand? I had peace of mind and you..." He pointed a furious finger at her. "You stole that from me!"

She didn't reply, didn't look up. Just kept her hands at her back and her head bowed. She'd destroyed Kuwin's life and yet, here she was, without the words that she was supposed to speak. Kuwin didn't even know what he wanted from her. Did he want her to beg? To apologize? Offer his soul redemption? He had no idea.

"Say something!" he commanded, shaking with fury that he couldn't comprehend.

Osa raised her head.

"Maybe you're looking at this all wrong."

"How could I possibly be looking at this wrong?"

"I'm not a Christian-"

"You don't say."

"But," she said, raising her voice slightly as if she was a little irritated with him. As if she had any right to be. "Your god doesn't exactly speak words. He uses signs and wonders, right? Maybe your relationship has evolved and you're still looking for signs and wonders in old places."

Hunh, Kuwin thought, hesitating. He wanted to argue, but what leg did he have to stand on? He'd tried to induce a conversation with God in the ways that he knew how, but that hadn't worked. Maybe God was speaking to him in other ways that he was ignoring because they weren't recognizable.

Maybe God was speaking to him through this deceitful, dangerous woman.

"I don't pretend to understand what you're going through," she said. "But I don't regret it."